Voice of the people (letter).

Waiting For Guns

January 27, 1993|By Ian Kerfoot.

CHAMPAIGN — The gun-control column by Clarence Page (Jan. 13) advocates limiting firearm purchases to the rate of one per month per individual. Firearm collectors often purchase several firearms in a month, with no sinister intention.

The State of Illinois requires that all firearm owners have a Firearm Owner's Identification Card, which takes about a month to process. This provides as long a waiting period as anyone could want to obtain their first firearm. If a person owning a firearm wished to commit a crime with it, he/she would use it instead of waiting three days for the transfer of a second firearm to him/her. Thus, the present waiting period has no legitimate purpose, and should be eliminated.

If Erik Larson (quoted in the column) truly does not oppose guns in the hands of responsible owners, I call upon him to join me in advocating the repeal of Illinois' waiting period. I would also appreciate his support in passing a national law barring states and municipalities from banning handguns and assault rifles.